Heart of Black
by hollyleaf988
Summary: It started with a simple prank. They never thought it would become anything more. They were wrong. Meet Rosie Cameron; Ravenclaw prefect, Seeker of the Quidditch team and all around good girl. Enter the Marauders, Gryffindor jokers, troublemakers and all around pranksters. Join them through friendships, rivalries, love and pranks.
1. Chapter 1

The girl sat alone at a round table, surrounded by stacks of books. Her black robes with a royal blue trim lay abandoned over a chair, and her shirt was neatly tucked into her pleated skirt. Coupled with the severe plait in her dark hair and the shiny prefect badge pinned to her uniform, she gave off a stern air that left few daring to approach her table.

She had just settled into a rhythm of checking facts from the book propped in front of her, then adding them into the extra-credit essay she was writing when she felt someone sit at her table. She raised an eyebrow but didn't look away from her book, figuring that whoever was brave enough to disturb a Ravenclaw during her schoolwork would state their intentions without prompting. Sure enough, after only a few seconds of silence, the intruder began to speak.

"Are you Rosie Cameron?" the voice asked in a hushed tone. "Supposedly the smartest witch to attend Hogwarts for generations?"

Rosie didn't shift her gaze away from the text in front of her, using the open book to hide her face while she tried desperately to identify the voice. It was definitely male, and the deep sound suggested someone older than herself, whilst their hushed tone indicated a need for secrecy. It was, however, a highly familiar voice which narrowed down the possible candidates somewhat. It couldn't be anyone from her house, or any of her classes, or a fellow prefect, as she knew she would recognize any of their voices instantly.

The only people left after her quick deductions, save for the professors, were four people the whole school knew by sight and sound. The Marauders; Remus Lupin, Peter Pettigrew, James Potter and Sirius Black. It was unlikely to be Lupin, she had patrolled with him before as fellow prefects and knew his voice. It was also unlikely to be Pettigrew or Potter, for she knew Pettigrew to be a rather nervous, wheezy boy and Potter to be far more arrogant than the boy sitting opposite her. That only left Sirius Black, prankster extraordinaire and resident school bad boy.

He was also the most likely to say something charming to a girl. She knew that, while her intelligence was above that of the average Ravenclaw, she was a far cry from the smartest witch in generations.

It had taken less than a few seconds to reach her conclusion, but she chose to keep her knowledge of his identity secret until she knew why he was here, in the library, of all places. Instead, she replied calmly without looking up from her book, even though she had stopped reading the moment he had sat down.

"Who wants to know?" her response was cool and collected and it made him chuckle slightly. He leaned forwards in anticipation.

"Someone who wants some help."

Rosie laid her book down slowly, deliberately closing it in front of her, giving him the part of her attention that wasn't whirling with confusion and a little suspicion.  
His response had surprised her; she had not been expecting him to be so blunt with his request, and it unnerved her slightly. She kept her face schooled in a neutral expression whilst her mind started formulating different reasons why Sirius Black, one of the cleverest students in the year above, would be asking her for help.

"The great Sirius Black, school quidditch star, prankster extraordinaire and school heart throb is asking me, a lowly Ravenclaw prefect from the year below, for help?" her tone was slightly teasing and she leant towards him, chin resting on steepled fingers. "I'm listening."

Black shook his head and gestured to the other occupants of the library, showing no surprise that she knew who he was despite having barely glanced at him since he sat down.

"Not here," he said as he stood up, slinging his bag over his shoulder. "Too many ears listening in. Somewhere more private, with the other Marauders."

Her interest was piqued, so she stood obediently, packing her quills and ink into the front pocket of her satchel, and most of the books on the table into the main bag. She was thankful for the undetectable extension charm she had cast on it at the beginning of the year as she piled the various scrolls in on top, before gently tugging the bag closed. She finally slipped the strap over her head and picked up the final three books from the table before following Black away from the library.  
The moment they had set foot outside the door, Black held his hands out for the books in an act of chivalry.

"A gentleman," he stated formally, setting off down the corridor, "Never lets a lady carry her own books. In here."

He nudged the door to an empty classroom open with his foot and she followed him inside, unsurprised to see Lupin, Potter and Pettigrew lounging on chairs. She held her hands out for her books and perched herself on a desk as Black closed the door behind them.

Her short frame meant her feet couldn't reach the floor so she let her legs with knee-high socks and buckled shoes swing lightly as she waited for the boys to explain. It was Potter who broke the silence first.

"So, you might be wondering who we are and why we sent Pa-Sirius here to abduct you out of the library."

Rosie's eyes narrowed slightly at the slip up, her brain already making connections between the other times she had heard them calling each other by funny nicknames, but she shrugged slightly in response to his question.

"Not especially. I know who you all are, and Black said you needed my help with something."

It was a lie and she knew it. In reality, she was desperate to know why the Marauders, of all people, had sought her out for help, if only so her brain would stop churning up implausible theories. None of the boys seemed to notice her real thoughts behind her mask of indifference, so Potter continued talking.

"You don't have to call us Black and suchlike. James, Sirius, Remus and Peter are fine, you know." she nodded her head slowly.

"Then you can call me Rosie." she said quietly. James grinned as if this was some kind of immense personal achievement and Remus rolled his eyes from his spot behind James.

"All right, Rosie. You might be wondering why we sent Sirius to kidnap you out of the library. The thing is, we've noticed that people have been rather depressed lately, because of the delicate political situation going on outside Hogwarts, and the increase in Death Eater activities."

Sirius took over from his position leaning by the door, and started to slowly pace behind her. It took all of Rosie's will power to keep her gaze focused on the other three Marauders and not turn to watch him whilst he talked.

"But, because it's nearly Halloween, we decided that can't go on any longer. People need cheering up, and fast, if they are going to appreciate or Halloween pranks. That is where you come in."

Remus broke in when Sirius paused, giving Rosie the impression they had rehearsed this speech before actually seeking her out.

"We couldn't help but notice, at the Yule Ball last year, that you happen to be a rather good dancer, and we could use that to our advantage. We also need you to help with some of the more technical aspects of our plan."

Rosie could barely keep her questions at bay. Her mind had been frantically processing information whilst the three boys had been talking; if the apparent motivation for their plan, whatever is was, was genuinely to cheer people up, then there was likely a lack of malicious intent, which meant she would probably not get into trouble if she did help them. The face they needed her help for technical aspects suggested it involved some variation of Muggle technology; all four boys were of wizarding descent and therefore unlikely to understand how it worked. She, however, was a Muggleborn and knew perfectly well how to use a range of Muggle equipment.

How her dancing skills would impact upon their plan, she had no idea, but they did have a point when they said she was good. Eventually, she settled for simply eyeing Remus suspiciously, wondering why the brightest wizard in a higher year than her would be asking for help. He took the hint and continued.

"It won't involve anyone getting hurt or humiliated, so you won't get into trouble, just a serious complicated bit of magic and a girl to help. We can't tell you more unless you agree to help."

James stood directly in front of her, capturing her attention, with a smirk on his face.

"So, what do you say?"

Rosie bit her lip, thinking hard. Anything the Marauders needed help with was likely to be difficult and hard work, and would probably take up valuable study time. On the other hand, they had said exactly the right things to interest the part of her brain that adored a challenge, and it was always worth having an 'in' with the Marauders. In the end, her creative side took control and answered for her.

"I'm in"

* * *

**A/N - So, what do you think? I've had this idea rattling around my head for a while, so I decided to write it.**

**For anyone who has read my Percy Jackson story, I will be, eventually, redoing it, so it makes more sense. IT HAS NOT BEEN ABANDONED!**

**~Hollyleaf988~**


	2. Chapter 2

The effect those two words had on the boys was immediate. James let out a whoop of triumph and hugged Sirius, who had clapped her on the back as he walked past her. Remus smiled slightly and allowed a highly excited Peter to give him a high-five. Rosie sat quietly and waited for the boys to calm down so they could explain the details of the plan.

"What we want to do, to cheer people up, is a bit of a variation of when the suits of armor sing at Christmas time, except we don't want them to sing. We want them to dance. We're planning, about a week before Halloween, to have one of those Muggle flash gangs in the courtyard at break and-"

"You mean a flash mob? Where loads of dancers perform a choreographed routine when no one expects it?" Rosie interrupted James mid-sentence, her tone slightly incredulous. "That's a surprisingly good idea, but how exactly do you plan on persuading the suits of armor to do that? They aren't exactly the friendliest of decorations, you know"

James shook his head delightedly.

"Ah, but that's the thing. We don't plan on convincing them to do anything. We, you included, are going to enchant them, then teach them a few dance routines to wizarding songs, then have them perform it, with the music, in the courtyard one break-time."

Sirius nodded at James' words and added his own statement.

"We were going to have it in the great hall during one lunchtime, but Remus convinced us there wasn't enough space. So, Peter suggested the courtyard instead. It's brilliant, there's enough space for all the suits of armor, and all of the students who are watching."

Rosie stared at him in disbelief, shocked about how flippant he sounded.

"Brilliant, perhaps, but do you know just how much work we are going to have to do? In the wizarding world, devices that can record songs to be played whenever aren't common, and Muggle technology won't work in Hogwarts. Then, assuming we manage to create a device that can record music, we then have to listen to the _WWN_ so we can actually record the songs we want to be able to play back. After that, there's the choreography, which is more my problem than yours. Even if I can choreograph the dances, they will have to be taught to the suits of armor, which is enough work in itself. To get every suit of armor doing exactly the same thing at the same moment will require engraving each suit with a rune, then having a master rune somewhere to control the whole lot. If, just if, we can manage to do all that, then we still have the problem of getting over one hundred suits of armor into the courtyard without the other students thinking they're being attacked," she leaned forwards, resting her elbows on her knees and staring at the boys seriously. "Have you really, really thought about this?"

Sirius' smile faltered slightly, but he recovered quickly, gesturing to himself, James and Peter.

"Yes, we've thought really hard about this. James, Peter and I are going to stay out of the way whilst you and Remus work out all the technicalities, and do all of the detailed planning. Then, we'll turn up and do whatever we have to. Remus already has some ideas on the music thingy, and James and I know what songs we want to play."

Rosie closed her eyes in exasperation.

"Music thingy? Oh, very well, I'll do it, but only because I love a challenge and I daresay that, without me, you'll mess this up. Just tell me when you want me to start planning things with Remus, and I'll get on with it. Don't expect me to spend all of my time working on this, though. I still have my usual homework, extra-credit work, prefect duties and Quidditch practice to do, not to mention it's my O.W.L year this year. I have to revise for my exams, and I spend most of my free time dancing, too."

Sirius raised his eyebrows at the amount of things she managed to do.

"Do you eat and sleep at all? I know you're on the Ravenclaw team, you're the seeker who keeps ducking when I try to knock you off our broom with a Bludger. Anyway, it's only mid-September now, and we aren't planning on pulling this off until end of October. There's plenty of time to get this organised."

"We can make a start now, if you aren't too busy. I have my notes on the music device in my dorm room. If you come with us, I'll fetch them now and we can find an empty classroom to start work. I have a couple of old wireless radio's we can practice with." Remus added, standing in front of her and offering his hand to help her down. "Besides, we'll make sure you don't fall behind on your studies, I still have all of my notes from last year that you can revise from, and we can help you out if you need it."

Rosie contemplated the offer then stuck out her hand, letting Remus help her jump down from the desk. She straightened her skirt and ensured her wand was safely stored in her robes before turning to collect her books and her bag from the table. This time, as she followed the Marauders through empty corridors and down secret passages she didn't even know existed, she didn't let Sirius carry her books, and simply allowed herself to listen to the mindless chatter the boys were making and remember the different passageways they took, in the hopes of using them at a later date.

They stopped at the top of a set of stairs in front of a large portrait containing a fat, painted lady. She frowned at the boys who were waiting for the painting to notice them.

"This is your common room entrance? What happens if she goes away, do you just have to wait outside? It seems awfully unreliable to me."

Remus shrugged lightly, seemingly unconcerned, as the portrait turned towards the five of them.

"Well, that's just the way it is. Sirius, would you mind covering her ears? As a prefect, I'm not allowed to tell a member of another house our password."

Rosie did not protest as Sirius' large hands closed over her ears, completely eradicating any sound she could hear. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw James say something to the portrait, who then nodded and swung open on hinges Rosie had not noticed before. Sirius removed his hands and a jumble of voices met her ears. Inside, she could see a cosy common room filled with people, from excited first years playing exploding snap, to N.E.W.T students doing homework in front of the roaring fire.

They quickly crossed the room, Rosie keeping her head down in an attempt to avoid drawing attention to herself. It seemed to work, for she heard no whispers following her as she followed the boys up a staircase. They stopped at the sixth door they passed, and Sirius and James barged straight through the door, whilst Remus and Rosie cautiously entered behind them.

Rosie wrinkled her nose as she stepped over the threshold. The room had five beds, complete with scarlet drapes, and five wardrobes which, judging by the state of the room, were unused. On one of the beds sat a boy who looked up as they walked in.

"James, I don't know why there's a Ravenclaw girl in our dorm room, but if Lily catches her here there will be hell to pay."

It was Remus who placated him, with his head buried in the trunk at the foot of his bed, searching for his notes.

"Relax, Benjy. She doesn't know the password to get in, and we're just about to go now. James, Sirius, Peter, as much as I enjoy your company, none of you take Ancient Runes or Arithmancy." He emerged from his trunk, waving a stack of parchment triumphantly. "Got them! Come on, Rosie, we'll go and find somewhere to work on this thing."

He gestured for her to lead the way out of the dormitory, and the other boys followed her down the stairs and back into the common room. Sirius produced a deck of Exploding Snap cards from his pocket and began to drag James and Peter towards the armchairs by the fire. They had barely taken two paces before a loud, female voice rang out above the crowd.

"Potter!" A redheaded girl, Lily Evans, Rosie recognized pushed her way towards the foot of the stairs where they were standing. Remus paled slightly and tugged Rosie in the opposite direction, towards the portrait hole.

"We should get you out of here. Lily's great and all that, but she takes her prefect duties very seriously. If she catches you, a Ravenclaw prefect, in our common room, she will not be happy. It'll only make it worse if she finds out I'm involved, as another prefect, she'll go ballistic."

They made it out of the common room without incident and walked in silence back towards the library. They were about two corridors away when Rosie stopped him.

"Wait," she said, glancing around to make sure they were alone in the corridor. "Not the library, it's too crowded. In here, instead."

She drew her wand and tapped the brass tag underneath the portrait of a scholarly wizard. _Tap-tap, tap._ The wizard looked up and smiled at her.

"Hello, Ailerán. Do you have a fact for me today?" Rosie asked politely. Asking for a fact, then answering a question was part of the medieval scholar's requirement to gain access to what lay beyond his portrait.

"Ah, Miss Cameron. Sometimes, when in doubt, a little _Kenaz_ is all you need. If I were to encourage two people to stop arguing, what would I wish upon him?"

Rosie smiled at the familiar Irish accent and gestured towards Remus.

"You would wish them Gifu, along with a little _Teiwaz_ and_ Eihwaz_. May we enter now, Ailerán?"

"Correct, as always, Miss Cameron. You may enter, my dear, you may."

Chuckling slightly, the painting closed it's eyes and a section of wall shimmered out of existence. Rosie stepped through the gap confidently, closely followed by Remus and they were briefly plunged into darkness as the wall reappeared behind them. With a flick of her wand, Rosie lit the multitude of candles placed strategically around the small room.

The room was beautiful, in its own right. It was fairly small, with books stacked from floor to ceiling, and every available surface was covered with rolls of parchment. Scraps of parchment with various runes were stuck to the walls, and there were various different rune sets lying around.

"This was Ailerán's study, replicated down to the last book. The parchments are the work of generations of students finding this place, and carrying on his work. Ailerán did a lot of work in developing and creating runes. I think the secret was lost a couple of years back, because I think I'm the first one here for at least a decade."

Remus smiled slightly, quietly amused by the obvious joy the room brought her. He shifted some of the scrolls off the table and pulled out a chair.

"Come on. We have work to do"


	3. Chapter 3

"Ouch, Sirius. That was my foot!"

"It's not my fault you were in the way."

"Well, it's not my fault you can't dance."

"I can dance just fine! You are just getting the moves wrong."

"How can _I_ be getting the moves wrong? I'm the choreographer, I _made_ the moves."

"Well, you must be getting the moves wrong, it's the only explanation for it."

"Are you sure, Sirius? If it's too difficult, you can just say. You don't _have_ to help me with the dance."

"Difficult? Psch, this is nothing."

Behind them, Remus pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to ward off the headache Sirius and Rosie's bickering was sure to bring. James was stifling his snickers with coughs and Peter was laughing openly.

"Would you two _please_ stop bickering? You're giving me a headache! Between us, we've got the hardest parts of the prank completed, and choreographing this is all that's left. This is the easy bit."

"Easy bit?" Sirius whipped his head around, glaring at Remus. "Do you know how hard some of these dance moves are?"

Rosie laughed with delight.

"So you _do _think this is difficult- turn, Sirius, not twist- I knew it!"

"I am turning, and I never said it was difficult!"

"Uh, yes, you did, and that is very definitely twisting."

"This is not twisting!"

"Well, it's not turning, either! Step, step, foot back, pause, _now_ twist."

"Can we take a break now? This is more tiring than it looks," Rosie dropped Sirius' hands as the music stopped.

"That was the end of the song, anyway."

Sirius collapsed into a nearby chair and gratefully gulped down the glass of water that James had thoughtfully conjured for him. Rosie started to stretch off as Remus approached her.

"The dances are really good, Rosie," he smiled, offering her some water. She took it thankfully but continued stretching.

"You think? I'm terrified it could be too much, or it won't look good when we have the armor doing it."

"Rosie," Remus said solemnly, placing his hands on her shoulders to pause her briefly. "The dances are the least of our worries. Look at what we've achieved so far. We've invented a brand new _wizarding_ musical recording device, successfully created a rune to animate objects that haven't properly moved for centuries, adapted said rune to form a master rune and implanted a series of hybrid runes to cause all objects marked with the animation rune to follow a set routine, sometimes in unison and sometimes in canon, which is a serious achievement in itself. Then, we've managed to figure out a way to get a hundred suits of armor into a courtyard without alarming anyone, and spread the word amongst the students that something is going on in the courtyard after the Slytherin-Ravenclaw Quidditch match, without alerting the teachers that something is happening."

Rosie smiled as she thought back on their progress in the past few weeks. On top of doing her fair share of the preparation, she had switched most of her prefect duties so she could revise with Remus whilst they patrolled. Every evening, from setting foot in the Ravenclaw common room after lessons, to leaving it for dinner, had been taken up with homework, extra-credit work, then revising the lessons she had completed so far so she wouldn't forget anything they had learnt in the run up to her O.W.L's. Assuming she completed all of that by dinner, every fourth evening was taken up by Quidditch practice, in preparation for their game against Slytherin, every night after was taken up by star gazing for Astronomy and every other free night was devoted to her dancing. It was tiring, keeping up with her workload, and she was fairly sure she had seen money changing hands between some of the younger students; the betting slip on mental breakdowns amongst Ravenclaws later confirmed her suspicions that she had been the subject of that particular bet.

"Besides," Remus added, releasing her so she could hitch her satchel over her shoulder. "The dances are perfect. People will love them."

Rosie smiled at his show of support, then glanced at her watch and yelped.

"Merlin, is that the time? I've got Quidditch practice in ten minutes. Remus, can I ask you guys to keep the stuff for tonight? I don't have time to run back to the tower."

Remus ushered her out of the classroom door, hurriedly.

"Yes, yes. I'll finish carving the rune tablet tonight, my rune class finished that topic already. Just hurry up and get down there; it wouldn't do for you to be late to your last practice before the game," Rosie groaned dramatically.

"Don't remind me, Remus. You'll make me even more nervous than I am! Sirius, James, Peter, I'm sure I will see you around tomorrow. Remus, we have a study patrol, so I'll definitely see you."

* * *

Rosie made it to the changing rooms in the nick of time. She turned her back to the two girls already sat inside, changed and ready, and had just finished changing when the boys walked in, ready for their final pre-match pep talk. She took her seat as seventh year Shannon Warner stood in front of the assembled team.

"Okay. This is it, the final training session before the match. As of now, we have new strategies to learn."

The room was filled with protesting shouts. Eventually, Shannon's fellow beater, Johnny Beck, made himself heard.

"That's enough, everyone. Shannon, why the sudden change of heart? We have all of the current plays sorted, they'll be enough to beat Slytherin, easily."

Shannon gritted her jaw and scowled.

"Those little sneaks have been spying on us. I caught a glimpse of some of them last time we trained, and I just happened to drop by during their last practice. They've been practising moves to beat our strategies. We _need_ new plays or we'll get massacred out there next week. We have the advantage right now, we know exactly what they will be doing because we know the weak points in _our_ plays. We just need to use it to our advantage, then crush them!

"First step though, undermining their team morale. Rosie, you've been hanging out with the Marauders a lot recently, do you think you could get them to target the team?"

Rosie raised her eyebrows. The esteemed captain of the Ravenclaw team, renowned for her aversion to cheating, was asking her to practically sabotage a rival team.

"Are you kidding me? They're Slytherins, and I have an in with the Marauders. They'll be regretting going against Ravenclaw by sunset tomorrow."

"Excellent," Shannon smirked at me. "Nothing that will permanently damage them, and nothing that could link back to us. Just little things, making their robes too small, putting salt in their drinks or something. If you can turn them on each other, even better. Mike, Lissy, you guys are two of the most popular people in your respective years. Can you organise it so that none of the team goes anywhere without a Ravenclaw, or at least a Gryffindor? We don't want our team getting hurt before the match. You, too, Amy. Sarah, as the best at charms in here, can you make sure no one will be able to sabotage our equipment?"

The Keeper, Mike Lewerts, clapped hands with Amy Robin, as Sarah Briggsworth nodded resolutely. Her fellow Chaser, Lissy Smith, spoke up determinedly.

"Consider it done, Shan. No one hostile is going anywhere _near_ this team before this match. We've got this covered."

Shannon nodded, sticking her hand into the middle of us, and Johnny spoke up, adding his hand as he did so.

"Come on, guys. We can do this. Hands in!"

Grinning madly, the rest of the team added their hands to the circle.

"_1-2-3! Eagles!_"

The circle broke up with a cheer as Shannon hushed them.

"Okay guys, lets talk strategy. Mike, there isn't much to change with your technique. Just keep blocking them, keep an eye on Bletchley, he like to feint right the shoot straight, and don't let them get you distracted. Amy, Lissy, Sarah, instead of doing long runs of solo flight and only backing each other up, you're going to get in close to each other. Short, quick passes. Lets get them quicker than those Snakes can blink. If you can get past their defence, we can stop them following you too closely.

"Johnny, you and I are going to work on getting more power behind those bludgers. This team is quick enough to dodge any that go astray, so we can stop worrying about hitting our own players. We need to do those Slytherin's some damage, get them out of action. Rosie, the biggest change goes to you. The Slytherin Seeker, Lambert, is bigger and heavier than you. That's unfortunate when you are both flying high, because gravity will have a bigger effect on him, let him go faster. If you are both on the same level, you don't stand a chance of getting to the snitch first. How good is your eyesight?"

"Uh, fair, I suppose," Rosie stuttered, taken off guard by the sudden question. "Not hideous, but not the best either."

Shannon nodded, showing Rosie had given the right answer.

"And, if you were flying at your normal level, and the snitch was at playing level, a hundred feet away, would you see it?"

"Probably not," Rosie answered cautiously, not sure where the questions were leading.

"Exactly. The latest statistics in _Quidditch Weekly_ show that the snitch is most commonly seen on normal playing level. Instead of having you ready to dive on the snitch and risk having Lambert overtake you, you are going to fly on normal playing level. It's a risky strategy that only the best seekers use, but I think you can pull it off. You're fast enough to dodge all of us playing around you, and focused enough to ignore all the other distractions. Another reason I want you on our level, I've noticed the increased amount of bludgers aimed your way. Instead of just dodging them, see if you can get yourself in front of a Slytherin player, _then_ duck. Not only do you avoid being taken out, you take out one of their players. It's perfect."

Rosie wasn't entirely sure the strategy would work well for her; the whole point of a seeker flying high was to have an aerial view of the entire pitch, and playing on the same level as the rest of the two teams would strip her of that advantage. However, Shannon was right when she said Lambert would be faster than her in a dive, and if she did play on the same level as the others, it would be harder for Lambert to keep an eye on her in the first place, and if she did manage to spot the snitch first, the Slytherin seeker would have no chance. She stood with the rest of the team as they made their way out to the pitch, followed by Shannon's shout.

"Get moving, people. Those moves aren't going to practise themselves!"

* * *

The Quidditch practice lasted late into the evening and each member of the team returned to their dormitory with stiff, aching muscles. She ignored the light of the full moon pouring through the gap in the curtains and collapsed on her bed, falling asleep to the occasional howl from the forbidden forest.

The next day dawned bright and early and with it, Rosie's idea to get the Marauders to target the Slytherin team. They could charm all of their quills to repel ink, she mused as she hurried down to breakfast, unless anyone else uses it. Or perhaps use the Hogwarts rumor mill to spread a few 'he said, she said' stories about the school. She passed the Ravenclaw table as she entered the great hall, heading straight for the empty seat next to three of the four Marauders. Her sharp mind noticed it was Remus missing and inwardly wondered where he could be.

"Where's Remus?" Sirius lifted his head off the table and Rosie was shocked to see he sported a broken nose. Looking around, she saw all of the Marauders sported recent scratches, though Sirius didn't seem to realise his nose was still bleeding. "Ouch, that looks sore. Here, _episkey."_

Sirius winced and grabbed his nose before releasing it and smiling at Rosie.

"Thanks," he noticed his bloodstained hands and pulled out his own wand. "_Tergeo. _Remus is in the hospital wing, but he said to say he will be fine for studying tonight."

"Good," Rosie nodded. "But have you guys been fighting or something? You all look like you've been hit by the Whomping Willow."

"Or something," James shrugged, yawning tiredly. "We're all just really tired right now."

Rosie leaned forwards, smirking slightly.

"Well, I have the perfect thing to cheer you up. Seven new targets, to be made miserable, but not damaged, between now and the next match."

Peter's head shot up excitedly.

"You want us to target the Slytherin Quidditch team?" Rosie snorted slightly.

"Well, I'm not going to ask you to target Hufflepuff, now, am I? Yes, I want you to target the Slytherin team. Nothing that will put them in the hospital wing, or won't let them play next week, and nothing that can trace back to me, even though I'm going with you."

"Why the change of heart?" Sirius asked skeptically. "Ravenclaw have never tried to enter the black world of subterfuge and sabotage before, so why now? What changed between your last practise and last night?"

"Those Snakes were spying on us!" Rosie leaned back defensively. "Shannon caught them trying moves that would destroy every one of our plays next game. There's no way they could have known to try those moves unless they knew our moves. Shannon's on the war path, and those Snakes are going down!"

"Well, when you put it that way," Sirius leaned back and exchanged a look with the two Marauders opposite him. "We're definitely in. Where do you want us to start?"

* * *

**A/N- Chapter 3 is up! Sorry about the wait, but that will probably become normal - a few chapters in a short space of time then couple of weeks for the next. Sorry about that, but it's just a case of finding the time to write. Full credit to Massacre13 though, she pestered me every day to write this chapter. If you could check out her story, Lending a Helping Hand, a Skulduggery Pleasant/ Harry Potter crossover, it is amazing! Or her Quotev account (Animelover) with her Percy Jackson and the Olympians/Harry Potter crossover series (she's on book three so far, it is brilliant!)**

**Disclaimer - Harry Potter is owned by J.K Rowling. I only take credit for the plotline of Heart of Black, and Rosie Cameron (sorry if this is anyone's name, I just picked it at random, and based it on no person/character).**

**~Hollyleaf988~**


	4. Chapter 4

"Does everybody know the plan?" Sirius hissed quietly as they stood in the darkened room. The other four occupants exchanged exasperated looks and recited their respective roles.

"I, James Potter, do declare that I shall be stealthily infiltrating the sleeping quarters of one Slytherin Seeker, Karl Lambert, and one Mitchel Flint, the Slytherin Beater. Whilst entering the room also known as the seventh year boy's dormitory, I shall be using my sneaking skills to charm all of their underwear too small, their ties a bright, flashing orange and mixing up all his pairs of socks. I'm also going to charm the covers off all of their textbooks and mix around the contents. If I think of little things, I'll do them too, like charming their quills to repel ink, or undoing a few stitches in their bags,"

Everyone, Sirius included, rolled their eyes at James' exaggerated formality, so Remus spoke up.

"I'll be in the sixth year dormitory, enchanting Norseby's prefect schedule to give him the wrong dates to patrol, but so only he can read it. I'll be doing the same little things as James, I'll probably hide a few pieces of homework around the dorm room. I've also found a neat little charm to stop his shoe laces tying together, so I'll cast that on every pair I see. If I get the chance, I'll mess with his trunk a little, shrinking and growing random bits of clothing and the like,"

Rosie had entrusted Remus with the sixth year dormitory because he had the most control out of the four Marauders. Rosie had witnessed multiple incidents of Snape being bullied at the hands of the boys, including the disastrous incident at the end of last year, and did not want any of them to get distracted. Surprisingly, Sirius had been quick to volunteer to take the fifth year dormitory, leaving James with the seventh years and Peter on look-out duty. Rosie herself would be taking the fifth and seventh year girls dormitory, for obvious reasons.

"We meet back here in half an hour. After forty minutes, the wards we had to disable to stop Gryffindors from being detected will be recast and we'll be caught, so we need to be out before that. Don't touch their Quidditch kit if you find it, we can't let people know it's Quidditch related _too_ quickly. If you get caught, raise the alarm and get out, fast. Good luck,"

Sirius turned away, and Rosie offered the group a tense smile, heading towards the girls dorms and drawing her wand from her pocket as she did so. She let her mind wander while she went from room to room. Sirius had looked odd when he had set off for the fifth year dormitory. His face had flashed with emotion, though he had been so quick to hide it she doubted any of the other boys had seen it.

She found the first of her two victims, Eloïse Nickles, the fifth year chaser, and pushed the issue of Sirius' strange behavior to the back of her mind. She glanced at the other girls sleeping in the room and was pleased to see the school gossip and wanna-be reporter, Lynne Davis. She crept across the room to pick up the small diary lying next to the girl's bed. If she was right, that diary would contain gossip on most of the school. It would be fairly easy to find something to use against Nickles, or her seventh year target and Quidditch Captain, Lucinda Talkalot. At the very least, she could write her own things in it and leave it somewhere it would be easily found.

Flicking through the pages, she found the section dedicated to the current fifth years. She paused at the sight of Nickles' name, then narrowed her eyes at the sight of her own. She duplicated the diary with a quick flick of her wand and a murmured word then pocketed the copy. It was impossible to tell what sort of information could be found within its pages. She turned to the back of the book and, using a nearby quill, started to write.

_Quidditch gossip_

_Involves - Eloïse Nickles, Lucinda Talkalot, Mitchel Flint & Alfred Norseby_

_Flint complaining about Talkalot's Quidditch training. Rumors that Talkalot likes Flint. Find out more! Norseby chasing after Nickles, post party hook-up? Follow pair during Quidditch celebratory party._

Her rough notes followed the same style as the rest of the diary pages she had read, so Rosie doubted they would notice a difference. She left the book strategically open on the most recent page with a quill marking the spot and moved further into the room, looking for more mischief opportunities. She made short work of enchanting all of Nickles' quills so that they would repel ink, then set to work on the girl's wardrobe. Working quickly, she set about altering the clothes; taking in waistlines and letting out the bust area so it lay slightly too baggy. After shrinking all of shoes slightly, and hexing all the accessories she could find with a colour change charm so they would never quite match an outfit, she moved into the bathroom shared by the girls.

Inside was a surprisingly large amount of beauty products, mostly magical brands, but Rosie was amused to see a few Muggle beauty products sitting around. She quickly realised she had no way of telling which items belonged to which girl, and concluded that simply spiking all of them with the hair dye Sirius had so thoughtfully provided her with would be the best way to progress. With slightly too much enthusiasm for one who was simply extracting revenge on behalf of another, Rosie poured a generous amount in each bottle, gave it a quick shake and returned it to its previous resting spot.

Satisfied her work was complete, she moved on to the seventh year dormitory, carefully dodging around piles of discarded clothes and books. For a group of respectable pure-blood girls, expected to join society as civilised ladies in less than a year, they were awfully untidy, Rosie mused. She cast a brief glance over the girl sleeping peacefully on the bed to make sure she had the right girl. Lucinda Talkalot, seventh year Slytherin Quidditch Captain and Chaser. If the name elegantly inscribed on the trunk hadn't given her away, the untidy pile of Quidditch robes at the foot of her bed would have done.

Rosie sent a distasteful look towards the girl who had ordered the Slytherin team to spy on the Ravenclaw team. As a general rule, Ravenclaw's disliked anyone who condoned cheating, but to initiate spying in something as competitive as Quidditch was crossing the line. She almost pitied the girl who had incurred the wrath of the Ravenclaw team, and set about making her life in the week before the game, hell.

She cast a neat little hex on the girl's hair brush that would make it tangle her hair, then followed it up by cursing all of her laces to tie them in knots whenever possible. She continued casting little, annoying spells on various inanimate objects as she moved about the room, but allowed her mind to wander.

It bothered her that Sirius had tried to hide something from them when they had gone over the plan downstairs. She was certain Peter and James hadn't picked up on it, both boys were far to oblivious despite any amount of friendship between James and Sirius. Remus might have caught the flash of emotion, but she doubted it. He may have been more sensitive when it came to people's feelings, but he hadn't been looking at Sirius, so she concluded that she was the only one who had seen it.

What was puzzling her was the emotion itself. It could not have been fear, for Sirius had nothing to be afraid of within Hogwarts. It was not a dark enough look to be anger, but it couldn't have been excitement, or he wouldn't have hidden it. Her mind clicked on the expression. It was guilt, but Sirius had nothing to be guilty about. He had not done anything to compromise their excursion...yet. Her mind clicked on what had happened when deciding who would go where during the planning stages earlier that day. Sirius had volunteered to take the fifth year dormitory immediately after Remus had taken the sixth years.

There was no real reason for him to do that, fifth year was her school year, not his, so he was unlikely to know anyone, except- Her mind clicked on the horrifying conclusion before she could dismiss it. Her occasional Prefect patrol partner, Regulus. Regulus Black. Sirius' brother. Her eyes widened as her wrist watch ticked over the half-hour mark.

Sirius was going to somehow wake Regulus. He was going to ruin the plan, and she was the only one who knew about it. She turned and hurried into the Slytherin Common Room, praying she was wrong and that Sirius would be standing there waiting for her when she arrived. Her heart sank when it was just Remus, Peter and James standing by a sofa, anxiously checking Remus' pocket watch. They all looked up as she skidded to a stop in front of them.

"Where is he?" She asked before they could say anything. "Is he still up there?"

"What took you so long? We only have five minutes before the charms reset and we get caught in here. I don't know where Sirius is, but he needs to hurry up," James countered while Remus nodded. Rosie ran her hand through her hair in frustration as she thought through possible plans.

"Right," she snapped, taking control of the situation. "You three, wait outside in the corridor. Keep hidden and wait. I'll go and get him. As a Ravenclaw, the charms won't detect me; it was Gryffindor Slytherin hated, not Ravenclaw. Sirius is a pure-blood, and a Black, it might confuse the charms, and I'm a Ravenclaw. Together, we've less chance of being caught,"

The boys started to protest as she shoved them in the direction of the entrance and dashed towards boys dormitories. She kept her footsteps light but swift as she darted inside the fifth year dorm and spotted Sirius approaching the bedside of a sleeping Regulus Black.

"Sirius, what are you doing?" she hissed frantically, intercepting his move to wake his brother. "Are you trying to get us caught?"

"Let me go," he growled, trying to move around her as she lodged herself in his way. "I need to speak to him!"

"And say what?" Rosie challenged, redoubling her efforts to stay between him and the bed. "Sirius, most of the school know you were disowned over the summer, he can't speak with you or he'll get into trouble and he'll hate you. Is that what you want?"

"He already hates me, Rosie, now move out of my way or I will have to move you," he threatened, drawing his wand.

"Oh, grow up, Sirius," Rosie snapped, losing all patience with him. "He doesn't hate you, but he will if you wake him and we need to go now. We have around three minutes before the charms are recast and _you_ get us both caught. Think about it, if future Death Eaters catch us in here, a mud-blood and a blood-traitor, we're dead. Both of us, now come on!"

She gave him an ineffectual shove to his shoulder that seemed to bring his senses. He glanced at his drawn wand, then at her standing between him at his sleeping brother, and his eyes widened as he processed the fast-approaching time-limit she had mentioned. He grabbed her hand and towed her out of the room, both sprinting down the corridor, through the common room and out of the door, colliding head-on with the other boys with a minute to spare.

Rosie was knocked to the ground by Remus and managed to drag Sirius down with her by their still-joined hands. James and Peter both tripped over the resulting pile and all five ended up on the floor, Rosie and Remus on the bottom supporting the weight of all three boys. The breath whooshed out of Rosie as Sirius elbowed her in the stomach, James crushed her legs and her arm was wedged uncomfortably between Remus and Peter.

The boys untangled themselves individually from the pile of limbs, Sirius eventually pulling Rosie back to her feet as she smoothed down her hair and school skirt. Sirius fell into step next to her as they set off away from the dungeons, both falling behind the others slightly as Sirius opened his mouth to talk.

"For what happened in there," he started uncomfortably. "Thank you. I don't know what I was thinking, trying to talk with him like that. It was stupid and pointless, and it nearly got us killed. Forgive me?"

"Sirius, I won't deny that what you did could have gotten us killed, but it was _not_ stupid. Most of the school know you were disowned over the summer, missing your family isn't a crime, Sirius. It's natural, of course you are forgiven."

Rosie smiled wisely as he flashed her grin and darted forwards to walk with Remus. To her surprise, Peter dropped back to talk to her.

"I know what you did, you know. I know Sirius was in his brother's dorm, and I know you stopped him from waking him."

Rosie broke into a shocked smile as she looked at Peter in a new light. She had always had him pegged as the tag-along who didn't have an opinion of his own, but apparently she had been wrong.

"You're smarter than you're given credit for, Peter," she said, appreciating him fully for the first time. He smiled briefly, but did not reply. "So, tell me, how did you know?"

"He went straight for the fifth year dorms. Didn't even think about trying to prank Snape in the sixth year dorm, or the seventh year dorm with his rival beater, Flint and we all know his brother is in your year. It was obvious, really. James didn't notice because he really can be thick when it comes to people's feelings and Remus was too worried about getting caught to worry about Sirius," he paused, eyeing her critically. "For what it's worth, I think you did the right thing."

Rosie watched Sirius and Remus talking animatedly but quietly, and James leading the way with his wand lit. The action's of all three were lighthearted and done in jest, all slightly drunk from the success of breaking into the Slytherin Common Room, but Rosie remembered the devastated expression Sirius had worn when she had stood between him and his brother, and couldn't help but wonder.

"Did I really, Peter?" she asked quietly. "Because, the thing is, I'm not sure that I did."

* * *

**A/N - So, hey guys! Uhh, yeah, I know I'm a terrible updater :( but Massacre13, I have finally finished it! I had originally planned to go all the way up to the Quidditch game, but this chapter kept getting longer, and I was taking longer to write, so I ended it at 2,545 words. So, enjoy, read, review and update please! Also, anyone who reads my Percy Jackson story, I'm getting there, promise! ~Hollyleaf988~**


	5. Chapter 5

The week leading up to the Quidditch Match was surprisingly anti-climatic. True, tensions were running so high that it was actually unsafe for a member of one of the two teams to walk around the school without an escort of at least four, non-playing house members. The Gryffindor house had publicly declared their support for the Ravenclaw Team, largely at the urging of the Marauders. Officially, the Hufflepuffs were neutral, but that was largely so the Slytherins did not seem to be completely unsupported by the students, though the occasional student could be seen with a blue and bronze badge.

Unfortunately, it had been her fellow Fifth-Year, Mike Lewerts, the Ravenclaw Keeper who had been the unfortunate one find out the dangers of walking alone. As he was, by loosest definition, a friend of Rosie's, and the young Matron, Madame Pomfrey, had banned all but participating team players and genuinely ill students from her precious Hospitable Wing, Rosie found herself taking Mike his homework after classes.

While they had talked, Mike had warned her about the Slytherins and, considering her lack of actual friends, the Marauders had taken it as an invitation to surround her whenever she walked through the corridors. The only time she got a break from seeing any Marauder was on one of her regular Prefect patrols which was, ironically, with a Slytherin.

Her Prefect patrols with Slytherin Fifth-Year Regulus Black made Sirius deeply uncomfortable. The two were not on speaking terms after the events of the previous summer, and Sirius had expressed concerns for Rosie's safety now that she was a friend of his. The others, James in particular, had agreed with his statement, but Rosie had waved them off. She did not mind spending several hours a week patrolling alone with Black, she had even come to enjoy the silence they brought with them, so neither should they.

Rosie knew, from the brief conversations they _had_ had, that Black was the Reserve Seeker for the Slytherin Team and would take the position once Lambert, the Seventh-Year who currently held the position, left Hogwarts. The mutual appreciation of Seekers had given them enough conversation to last an entire patrol, but after that they were back to silence.

However, on their final patrol together before the match, Black had brought up the topic of the pranks being played on the Slytherin Team.

"Most of the Slytherins are quite glad, really. The Quidditch Team aren't actually very well liked amongst the rest of us. Most of the players bought their way in and they act like they're so much better than the rest of us."

Rosie had scoffed in reply.

"There's no way that's true, is there? All of you Slytherins always stand up for each other against bullies. Why would you do that if you didn't like each other?"

"By bullies, you mean the Marauders, your new friends, right?" Rosie nodded, slightly ashamed about being friends with a group of boys that were, quite simply, playground bullies. "Well, 'us Slytherins', as you so eloquently put it, have to stand up for each other because no one else will. It doesn't matter what we personally feel, you won't see us arguing outside of the Common Room."

"That makes an alarming amount of sense," Rosie mused. "I had no idea. I suppose that's what you want, though, isn't it? The rest of the school to think you are united."

"True," Black nodded, face unusually light-hearted. "The only reason I can get away with telling you in because you're a Ravenclaw. That's the only reason I can get away with even talking to you."

"Even though I'm a Muggle-born? A Mudblood? Surely most of your Slytherin wanna-be Death Eater cronies can't be happy about that."

"Actually," Black laughed, sounding slightly nervous. "Most of them don't know about your blood status, and those that do don't care. To them, even a Muggle-born can be allowed to join if their mind is great enough. I don't make a habit of informing on other students, their blood status is none of my business. Don't tell anyone this, Cameron, but I actually enjoy these patrols. It's nice to be able to talk to someone with intelligence."

Rosie noticed the concentration on his face when he said Muggle-born instead of Mudblood and inwardly commended his efforts to not insult her. Nodding to agree with his statements, she laughed at the comment on intelligence, until he ruined it by bringing Sirius into the conversation.

"Of course, I do have to question your intelligence now because you've started hanging around with my brother and his /friends/," Black sneered a little at the last word. Rosie straightened defensively, calling on all of her knowledge of formal language and Pure-Blood terms to get her point across to Black in terms he would easily recognise.

"The company I choose to keep is no one's business but my own, as are the reasons behind it. I would ask you not to pry, and to refrain from insulting them in my presence for the convenience of us both. However, I can reveal that all will become clear to you after the Quidditch Game. The day after, I think, in the courtyard during break."

Black raised a dark, slender eyebrow.

"Impressive. Courtyard at break, huh?"

"On the day after the Quidditch Match. Spread the word, but don't snitch," Rosie smirked and changed the subject slightly. "But, seriously? The Slytherin House are_ glad_ their Quidditch Team is getting into trouble over lots of little pranks? That's mad!"

"Quite," Black agreed, stopping walking to look directly at her. "I don't suppose you happen to know anything about the Quidditch Team suddenly getting pranked, do you?"

"That would be telling," Rosie shot back, looking straight back at him. "Even if I did, did you know we caught the Slytherin Quidditch Team spying on our team practices? Then they were seen practicing our moves and how to beat them?"

"What? They didn't, did they?" Black looked genuinely shocked and Rosie believed him. "I had no idea, I swear. Next time you're pranking them, let me know and I'll help."

"Nothing to do with me, but I'll spread the word around, anyway," Rosie laughed, effectively telling Black that it _was_ something to do with her. Regulus, however, still looked solemn.

"Seriously, though, I had no idea. The team keep to themselves most of the time. I'm a Reserve Seeker, as you know, but I don't really have anything to do with them. I'd never have allowed it had I known. Pure-Bloods are supposed to be respectable and these lot are running around like common criminals. They disgrace the name of all Pure-Bloods and of Salazar Slytherin himself. Slytherin students are supposed to be cunning, not cheaters."

"I know. It just proves that you get people in each house who don't necessarily fit the values. I mean, that Third-Year in my house, Lockheart? As a Ravenclaw he is supposed to be wise, and he is anything but. He goes around acting like he is the best at everything and I, as a girl, should give my spot as a Seeker to him because he is quite obviously better and I am a girl," Rosie snorted in an un-ladylike manner. "I've seen the kid fly, he can barely hover two feet above the ground."

"I know the one you mean. Irritating kid. Just goes to show, the House classifications aren't all they're cracked up to be. You can't trust someone to be something just because they're in a certain house."

Rosie had nodded thoughtfully and silence had fallen over the rest of their patrol, broken only by the familiar farewells at the end of their patrol time.

* * *

Before she knew it, a week had passed and Rosie found herself eating breakfast with the Ravenclaw Team. The dawn had brought them bright, sunny weather, though the wind was freezing, and the Saturday was shaping up to be a day perfect for Quidditch. The team sat in silence, barely eating their breakfast while, all around them, students chattered with excitement about the game. Rosie glanced at the Gryffindor table where Peter caught her eye and gave her a thumbs-up. Rosie smiled gratefully at him then looked back at her fellow players as the Captain, Shannon Warner, stood and gestured for the team to head down to the changing room. The Great Hall quieted as they walked out, heads held high. One student started to clap, closely followed by another, until the entire Great Hall was clapping as they left.

In the changing room, the entire team sat quietly as Shannon paced in front of them. Rosie was sat behind Chaser Amy Robin, helping her to secure her long hair, while Chaser Lissy Smith, who had short hair, sat behind her, braiding her hair in a tight french-plait. Shannon seemed to be preparing herself to speak.

"This is it, guys. The first Quidditch Game of the season, and we're playing it against Slytherin. Those sneaky snakes think they've got this in the bag; they think they know our moves, so they can win this. We've got to prove them wrong. Remember the moves we practised last time because we can beat them fair and square. We were all on this team last year, we all know how we work," Shannon stopped pacing and turned to address each individual player. "Sarah, this is our last year on the team. The last ever time we will be able to play Slytherin, so we have to make it our best game. Lissy, Amy, you two are quick. Between the three of you, you can literally fly rings around the Slytherins. Get the ball moving on your terms, you'll be fine. Johnny, us two are going to be needed to protect the team. If you see a Bludger, hit it towards a snake with every bit of strength you have. We need to try and take them out of the game. Mike, do your best to save the Quaffle. If you think they're feinting, go for it. Trust your instincts and don't get stressed if you let a few in. Rosie, you're the youngest member of this team and by far the smallest. That makes you bloody quick, so if you see that snitch you need to go for it. End the game quick before it can get too rough, but, if by some twist of fate we'll lose on points, keep an eye on it and block Lambert. It won't be easy, but you can do it."

Each person nodded as they were addressed personally. Johnny spoke, putting his hand into the space between the players.

"Come on, guys. Hands in!"

"1-2-3, Eagles!"

The roar from the players faded into the roars of the crowd as the players walked out of their changing room proudly. A majority of the crowd wore blue and bronze, perfectly matching the uniform of the seven players. They reached the centre of the pitch and lined up in front of the referee, a young woman called Madam Hooch who was only a few years out of Hogwarts herself, but prevented from playing professional Quidditch herself by injuries. They stood in order of position, Sarah at the end of the line as Captain, followed by her fellow beater, then the three chasers, keeper and Rosie herself on the other end of the line. The Slytherin Team walked out of their changing room to a slightly quieter, but still loud, chorus of cheers and lined up opposite the Ravenclaws.

Rosie looked up nervously as her fellow seeker loomed over her. She had never played against him before, Lambert only having joined the team at the beginning of the current school year, but he was easily a foot taller than her, possibly more. On Madam Hooch's whistle, she mounted her broom and kicked off, hovering only slightly above the normal playing level. The height was far below her normal playing level and being so close to the other players made her nervous. She was slightly reassured when Lambert flew to the normal height for a seeker, then looked around for her, confused at her absence. She heard the commentary start up in the distance.

"-and the players have kicked off. The Quaffle has not yet been released, nor have the Bludgers, though if I'm correct that is the Snitch being released right now."

Sure enough, Madam Hooch held the golden ball in her gloved hand, allowing all of the players to see it, before she lifted her arm up and hurled it into the air. She gave it ten agonisingly long seconds to get away before she released the two Bludgers, hefted the Quaffle into the air and blew her whistle.

The pitch erupted into action, the six chasers darted forwards, all vying for the Quaffle. The Beaters flew after the Bludgers, bats swinging. Rosie started weaving around the players, eyes peeled for a glint of gold that would indicate the Snitch was near.

"They're off! Robin with the Quaffle, passes to Smith, straight to Briggsworth, back to Smith. This Quaffle is flying between the Ravenclaw girls, I can barely keep up with it! Robin, Briggsworth, Robin, Smith, Briggsworth, Robin, Smith, Robin, Smith, takes the shot. She shoots, she scores! 10 points to Ravenclaw!" The commentary was briefly interrupted by cheers and shouts. "Play is resumed and Slytherin takes possession, Talkalot has the Quaffle, she's flying up the field, not passing to her teamates, dodges a well-aimed Bludger, courtesy of Beck. Lambert looks quite lost, hovering on his own above play. There's a conspicuous lack of Cameron's presence, she's chosen to fly amongst the others for this match. A risky strategy, only used by the best professionals, so how will it work for her? Back to the Quaffle, Talkalot goes to pass to Nickles, intercepted by Robin in a quick move. Ravenclaw back in possession-,"

Rosie tuned the commentary out after a Bludger nearly hit her. Rolling to avoid it, she rose a few feet above play to take her bearings. She had managed to fly towards the Ravenclaw end of the pitch so she spun back around and looped towards the centre again, eyes scanning for the Snitch. She glanced up at Lambert, who was still circling the pitch, then did a quick cursory glance around the pitch to check where the other players were.

All she saw was a Bludger heading straight for her head. She ducked quickly, spinning her broom around in a desperate attempt to avoid being hit. The black ball shot past her in a metal blur. As she straightened up, she caught sight of a flash of gold flitting away from her towards the Slytherin end of the pitch. She zoomed after it, lying flat on her broom in an attempt to fly faster. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of Lambert diving towards her. Evidently, he hadn't caught sight of the Snitch, but could tell she had, and decided following her would be the best thing to do.

The excited shouts from the crowd told her that they had noticed the sudden flight from both Seekers. Lambert dropped down behind her and the pair had been racing for a couple of seconds before he finally spotted the Snitch. He swerved out from behind her in an attempt to overtake so she pressed herself against the broom, making herself even smaller and somehow flying faster.

The Snitch, realising it had been seen, darted upwards, closely followed by both Seekers. The chase continued, weaving around the pitch in a last ditch effort to evade capture. True to Shannon's predictions, Rosie was far faster than Lambert when the two were flying flat, and Rosie found herself pulling ahead of the Slytherin boy. She stretched her arm forwards, every muscle straining, and her fingers closed around the cold metal of the Snitch, its delicate wings flapping uselessly.

Rosie pulled up triumphantly, holding the Snitch high victoriously. The crowd cheered louder and the commentator could be heard shouting excitedly from the teachers box.

"Cameron has caught the Snitch! Ravenclaw have won the match 170-10 due to a last minute goal from both Nickles of Slytherin and Briggsworth of Ravenclaw."

Rosie floated back to the ground, beaming, and was embraced by the rest of the team. They left the crowds cheering as they staggered into the changing room, still hugging, and Rosie still clutching the Snitch she had caught.

* * *

"I'm surprised to see you here."

The voice came from behind Rosie but she didn't turn around, recognising the voice as Sirius'. She heard him enter the room behind her and sit down opposite her. She did not look up from the runestone she was examining.

"Only, I heard there was this Ravenclaw victory party going on, and I thought you might be there."

Rosie's lips quirked in a smile and she met his stormy grey eyes with her muddy brown ones.

"I'm actually not surprised you know about that," she laughed lightly. "I made an appearance when I went to put my kit away, but it's not really my scene. Too many people and too much noise for my liking. I prefer a peaceful place, like a library."

"Or an empty classroom?" Sirius teased, gesturing around them at the empty desks. Rosie smiled again and looked back at the runestone until Sirius took it off her.

"Enough of that. It will work absolutely fine tomorrow. Everything will go according to plan, and everyone will be happy. End of story."

Rosie rolled her eyes and held her hands out for the tablet. Sliding it delicately into her school bag, she rose to her feet.

"Yeah. You're right, everything will be alright," Sirius laughed and flipped his long hair out of his eyes.

"Of course I'm right, I'm me," he offered his arm to her gallantly. "Now, I believe you have a celebration to be at?"

Swinging her bag on to her shoulder, Rosie slipped her arm into his gently and they walked out of the classroom arm in arm, laughing and joking.

* * *

**A/N - Here it is! Finally! The longest chapter yet, 3,107 words, and I'm still here talking to you lot :) Massacre13, this is for you seeing as I feel really bad about not realising I hadn't told you what happens at the end of this story...and then mentioning it like I expected you to know. Sorry about that :/**

**I fixed some minor continuity errors in the last few chapters. It's nothing major, but Mike Lewerts (the Ravenclaw Keeper) is actually in 5th year like Rosie, and Amy Robin (one of the Ravenclaw Chasers) is in 6th year. They are not both in 7th year like I originally put, but I'm not sure if any of you noticed that in the first place!**

**That's about it really, so I hope everyone enjoys their Summer Holidays! Oh, and check out my author twitter account for news about chapter updates. I'm Hollyleaf988 and my picture is the same as this story (and my profile) picture.  
**

**Disclaimer - I don't own Harry Potter. All credit goes to J.K Rowling; I can only take credit for the plotline and Rosie.**

**~Hollyleaf988~**


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